Less was more for ‘Laramie’

Published 7:16 am, Friday, December 11, 2015

'The Laramie Project' is a play detailing the events and reactions of the small Wyoming town surrounding the murder of Matthew Shepard. The show is the current production of Mark 10 Theatricals.

'The Laramie Project' is a play detailing the events and reactions of the small Wyoming town surrounding the murder of Matthew Shepard. The show is the current production of Mark 10 Theatricals.

Less was more for ‘Laramie’

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Much of what Mark 10 Theatricals’ “The Laramie Project” resonates today - even 17 years later. In the Moises Kaufman and Tectonic Theater Project play about the murder of Matthew Shepard, the tones of violence and hate are echoed in the present. In the wake of mass shootings, small town prejudices and media overkill, “Laramie” is as much a commentary on modern times as it is a recount of the grisly crime that shook the small Wyoming town.

Kaufman and members of Tectonic traveled to Laramie to conduct interviews of the residents to pain the fullest picture they could of the crime. Kaufman and his team turned those interviews into a series of monologues.

In 1998, two men lured Matthew Shepard, a University of Wyoming student who was also gay, away from a bar, took him for a drive, tied him to a fence and robbed and beat him. This made national headlines as it was later revealed to be motivated by hate. The show details the actions and reactions of Laramie’s residents.

Mark 10’s “Laramie” was less theater and more performance art and perhaps that’s what Kaufman intended. A cast of 13 took on multiple roles each delivering lines mostly to the audience. Their tales were punctuated by a slideshow of photographs that paralleled the speaking cast member.

Looking at the show as performance art was crucial because it made far more sense. A straightforward narrative would have lessened the weight of “Laramie,” not to mention technically difficult. For those expecting a play, look elsewhere. “Laramie” was more like a literary reading experience - and it needed to be.

Staged in the sanctuary of First Christian Church Odessa, there was really no set. Instead, actors planted in the audience would rise speaking lines while moving to the “stage.” Director Jonathan Horne later described this as wanting to portray that “these people are us.” The notion was simple but effective.

With each new actor, characters were introduced over a loudspeaker. Initially this made sense but after some time, and with a slew of successive monologues, introductions were sometimes misfired and distracting.

Filled with both new faces and veteran actors, the cast was a refreshing mix and were suitably cast for their multiple roles. Rarely did an actor not fit the persons he played. Some particularly dramatic moments were superbly crafted by Shannon Rusnack, Paula Wardop and Maija Johnson. Additionally, gravitas was subtle in humanistic performances by Cassandra Champion and Mia Stanley.

Of particular note, Luke Russell churned out a number of phenomenal moments with each of his characters that ranged from sympathetic to disturbingly hateful. His switch among characters in the middle of a monologue was downright astonishing to see. With the amount of lines he (and really everyone) had to juggle among multiple characters, watching him pull off a seamless and successful feat was hypnotizing.

Technically, the show felt slightly askew. The lighting didn’t illuminate the cast enough and the slideshow was hit and miss. At times, abstract images hit the mark while others felt like a mere “save image as.” The slides lacked a certain curated feel which undermined some of the emotional aspects of the show.

But the show nonetheless did pack a powerful emotional punch and more so reminded us of both the good and bad sides of humanity.